The Cadillac CTS Coupe will join the CTS sedan in the Australian Cadillac line-up in 2009.

Premiering today at the 2008 Australian International Motor Show, the concept version of the Cadillac CTS Coupe extends the dramatic design of its sedan predecessor to cast a striking road presence.

“Cadillac stands for luxury performance and the CTS Coupe is an important addition to the Cadillac portfolio in Australia. It shows our commitment to building the Cadillac brand in the premium segment,” said Director of GM Premium Brands, Parveen Batish.

Designed in the United States under the direction of Michael Simcoe, former head of GM Holden Design in Australia, the CTS Coupe Concept, which was unveiled at the 2008 North American International Auto Show in January, has a classic 2+2 interior layout, highlighted by black leather and microfibre trim that is complemented by yellow ochre-coloured seat inserts and leather stitching.

It is designed to accommodate a range of engines for the global luxury market, including Cadillac’s popular 3.6L Direct Injection V-6.

Highlighting all-new sculpted bodywork from the front fenders back, the CTS Coupe projects a unique profile unlike anything else on the road. Its fast-rake styling (it has the same wheelbase as the CTS, but an overall height that is approximately two inches, 51 mm lower and an overall length that is two inches, 51 mm shorter – blends with hand-sculpted bodywork that bulges around the wheels, giving the vehicle a ready-to-pounce stance that is dramatic, powerful and sleek.

“The CTS Coupe Concept is a dramatic design statement,” said Ed Welburn, VP, GM Global Design. “We did not create it as the result of sifting through reams of market data, nor is its shape trimmed to suit the input collected at a consumer clinic – it is emotion on four wheels and the very essence of what defines Cadillac today.”

The Cadillac CTS Coupe is expected to go on sale in Australia in late 2009 and pricing is yet to be determined.

A design gem

Among the CTS Coupe Concept’s signature Art and Science design cues are a number of elements that suggest the look of a carefully cut diamond – particularly at the rear. These elements enhance the sleek profile of the car and are seen in everything from the chrome header above the rear licence plate holder to the indents that comprise the basic form of the rear fascia.

The CTS Coupe uses the elements, along with other references to classic Cadillac cues – such as vertical headlamps and tail lamps – to create a forward-looking design while acknowledging the brand’s heritage.

Although based on the sedan, the CTS Coupe shares only the instrument panel, console, headlamps, front fenders and grille with the production model. Unique elements include:

Classic hardtop styling, with no B-pillar

CTS production windshield laid at a faster angle to create a sleeker profile

Tail lamps with a subtle fin profile highlighted with LED lighting technology with light pipes

Rear spoiler integrated into the centre high-mounted stop lamp

Sculpted roof-mounted antenna

The surfaces of the CTS Coupe Concept are complex. The rear fenders were sculpted by hand in the design studio until they provided a perfect, muscular form that wrapped tightly over the wheels. At the top, the rear fenders are beveled – owing to the diamond-cut theme – and become part of a horizontal plane that runs from the leading edge of the tail lamps and merges into the roof.

“At first glance, the design appears effectively simple, because there are no extraneous mouldings, spoilers or other protrusions, but the more you look at it, the more complex it becomes,” said John Manoogian II, Director, Exterior Design - Cadillac. “The angles and bevels were carefully carved to enhance the car’s sleek shape, but aren’t ‘busy’ or distracting – there’s really nothing quite like it.”

Personal passenger environment

A classic 2+2 interior environment enhances the CTS Coupe’s personal feel. It shares the hand cut-and-sewn instrument panel and centre console with the CTS, but features unique front and rear seats, a continuous console running between the front and rear seats, and custom door panels.

Custom-trimmed sport seats from Recaro are located in all four positions. They support the grand-touring nature of the car and are covered in rich, black and suede-like microfibre material, with yellow ochre-coloured inserts. The yellow ochre colour provides dramatic contrast with the black surrounding trim, but is a subdued hue consistent with the interior’s overall feeling of refinement. Yellow ochre stitching also is used throughout, including the seats, instrument panel, shifter knob and more.

Black microfibre fabric covers the front armrest, as well as an armrest located between the rear seats. The armrests are part of a continuous console that stretches from the instrument panel to rear seats. Carbon-fibre trim accents the console. The interior also features ambient lighting throughout, creating a distinctive environment at night.

Like the sedan, the CTS Coupe Concept’s interior is home to a host of technologies, including a premium Bose audio system and a 40-gigabyte hard drive to support I-Pod® functionality and which – like the CTS – features a screen that rises out of the centre of the instrument panel.

Performance-bred powertrain and suspension systems

As is the case with its design, the CTS Coupe extends the acclaimed capabilities of the sedan in terms of performance technology. This includes the capability to support a broad engine range of gasoline and diesel engines.

The CTS Coupe ascertains the sedan’s 3.6L V-6 engine, including the 227 kW Direct Injection power plant but has also been designed to accommodate other engine variants. A six-speed manual transmission backs the engine, sending torque to an independently sprung rear axle.

The CTS Coupe’s sport-tuned suspension gives it a slightly lower ride height than a production CTS – a look enhanced by the car’s rakish shape and large, 20-inch front and 21-inch rear wheels.

Behind the chrome, split-spoke, aluminium alloy wheels is a set of high-performance brakes, featuring cross-drilled rotors. Six-piston callipers clamp down on the front rotors, while four-piston callipers grab the rear rotors. All of the rotors have a distinctive, yellow-painted finish.